November Issue 1984 by The Review

eview to be sure, there are after school activities, but those are few and far between. "

H •••

George Evnochides

November '84

The Review Picture-of-the-Month

Calendar DECEMBER 1

12 13-19 13 14 15 17 18 19 21

The Review Editor-in-Chief John Reuter Asst. Editors David Conner Lindsay Martin Copy Editor Shannon Liss Sports Editor Kaffy Mize Business Manager Susan Finley Advertising Manager Cara Smith Photography Editor Susie GeorgesFaculty Advisor Mrs. Maryanne Lyons Headmaster Mr. James Maggart

George Evnochides and John Reuter. "What's wrong, George?"

Responsible Journalism? by David Conner All journalists, whether working for a professional paper or a high school paper, have a certian responsibility to report the facts as accurately and as truthfully as possible. This also holds true for editors and their editorials. Although editorials are designed to reflect the opinion of the editors, a good editorial will usually present an opinion founded on some kind of factual information instead of on unjustifiable biases and egregious misconceptions. If the editorial has no basis in truth, then it really is not worth the paper on which it is printed. Several examples of careless, irresponsible journalism can be found in the November issue of The Falcon, two of which have been reprinted in this issue for your scrutiny. These editorials are glaring examples of just plain bad journalism. In the journalism text book Press Time, by Julian Adams and Kenneth Stratton, the authors specifically state that "you owe it to yourself, to your paper, and to your

readers to do a thorough job of obtaining all the pertinent facts before you begin. writing." The guidelines for editorial writing in Journalism in the Mass Media, by Norman Moyes and David White, include: "Have all the facts been checked and logically presented?" and "Is your reasoning sound?" After you have read these editorials by members of the Kinkaid staff, you can decide for yourself whether these basic rules of responsible journalism have been violated. At The Review we hope to maintain a respectable level of journalistic integrity, but this certainly does not preclude the encouragement of a friendly rivalry between our two schools. We at St. John's are always open to good-natured criticism, as long as our critics are in touch with reality. In the future, I sincerely hope that our friends at The Falcon will tear themselves away from their many extra-curricular activities for just long enough to check their data before they write any more "biting" editorials.

CEEBI Achievement Tests Candlelight Service (7 p.m.) Exams Math Science Languages History, Compo Sci. English Electives Alumni Day

Quote-of-the-Montb "There's a thin line between cleverness and stupidity." David Glasscock ('85)

November 1984

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The Review Words from the Left

Enough is too Much by George Hagle(s) Recent St. John's administration policies concerning Kinkaid week, the announcements, and the uniform have received the student label of NO FUN policies. When the administration destroyed the revered tradition of annually stealing the Kinkaid Falcon, the NO FUN attitude seemed to be out of control. The Dean of the Upper School announced that the students who had stolen the bird would have to return it to Kinkaid immediately if they wished to continue at St. John's. Fear that this fun paranoia might be carried to even further extremes led these students to legally protect themselves by having the Kinkaid headmaster, James Ballad, sign the following document: RELEASE WHEREAS, on this the 26th day of October, 1984, representatives of the student body of St. John's School, an institution of college preparatory education at 2401 Claremont Drive, Houston,

Texas, hereinafter referred to as "St. John's Students," returned to the Kinkaid School, 201 Kinkaid School Drive, Houston, Texas, hereinafter referred to as "Kinkaid," an effigy reputedly representing the athletic mascot and school spirit of Kindaid, hereinafter referred to as "The Falcon." .WHEREAS, the receipt of The Falcon by St. John's Students was through mysterious and devious means, as are to be expected in the circumstances of the rivalrous, but friendly, relations between St. John's and Kinkaid. WHEREAS, any insults which may have been suffered by The Falcon, an inanimate and unfeeling object, were not intentionally directed toward The Falcon by St. John's Students and are no more than the normal wear and tear resulting from the youthful enthusiasms and energetic enterprise of said. St. John's Students, and, WHEREAS in consideration of the return of The Falcon, Kinkaid wishes to FORGIVE AND FORGET, LIVE AND LET LIVE, AND LET BYGONES BE BYGONES, AND THE BEST TEAM WIN. . NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the return of The Falcon, Kinkaid does hereby and forever release and acquit St. John's Students, their school, parents, heirs and assigns from any and all claims or causes of acitons from damage or injury to The Falcon or the spirit or phyche of Kinkaid, its faculty or student body, collectively or jointly. EXECUTED this 26th day of October, 1984. Perhaps both the restraint and the reaction have gone too far.

Words from the Right

False Impressions

by John Curtin "St. John's is a nerd school...it's a bunch of elitist snobs ... SAT SJS" - the image of our school held by those unfortunate enough not to be associated with us is somewhat uniform: a school full of rich nerds. But few who really know will doubt that we are the best school in the city (state? ... country? ..). However, those blind enough to label us a school of either elitists or nerds should look more closely. But also, have we labeled ourselves by the way we misrepresent our school? Undeniably, St. John's is a fine academic institution. The students, sometimes the faculty, and the numbers show it. The list of academic achievements of our school is

long. We should be, and are, proud of this list. After all, despite the problems they may cause, academics are the supposed primary concern of a high school education. However, those who charge that academics are overstressed simply because we excel in them should rethink their position. Should a school be labeled just by its accomplishments? Recently, our fine boys' cross country team, lead by a quite cute little captain, won the entire conference. Our girls' team did almost as well. By the logic of labeling according to achievements, St. John's should be singly labeled a cross country powerhouse. The arguments come clear: St. John's must recruit its runners, and we probably even pay them. How else could we do

so well? Or, is St. John's actually an "artsyfartsy" school? We did very well last year in the ISAS Arts Festival, and we even have a Fine Arts Council. Several students have been seen with weird haircuts, clothes, jewelry, or other artsy paraphernalia. Why aren't we thus labeled? To be fair, though, are we perhaps to blame for our erroneous reputation? How can the ignorant be blamed if they accuse us of being overly academically oriented? After all, it is we who complain to others about all of our homework, the tremendous pressure, the extreme academic pressure. If we think about it, we'll realize that by thus complaining to others, by whining about hours and hours of homework, or a tough courseload, or mean teachers, we leave them no choice but to draw the obvious incorrect solution. We should thus be proud of our fine academic reputation; we shouldn't trash it by complaining about the necessary work. We should instead boast about not only our academics but also our sports teams, our arts programs, even our omniscient administration. Hail, St. John's. November 1984

These two articles are reprinted from the November issue of Kinkaid's newpaper, The Fa/con, with permission from the editor.

Opposing Views oll·"Free" Time TIte aaxkmie .l4ndingt oj bo,h KiMaid and 5,. Joltn'. an wry rnpeclabk and. indeed. bolll an commended nalionwide Jor IIwir commitmen' 10 e:rcellence. HOfDft¥r, dtae 'wo eclaoo,.. which an 10 oftnt 'hough' 10 be alm,., Nknlieal by IItoee no' aj'JiIfD~d...,.". eillan, an vaa"y different in ,Iaeir philoeophiea oj .hulen, life. 51. Jolm '., in keeping willi ill Ioudabk aaxkmie .l4ndin& encou"'«ft ,Ite .'uclenllo apmd more time a' home (and.Nkally, more lime .ludying) by limiting ill e:r1nJ.auTicular qclioilin. OM Iaaa aimply waUc 'hrough JoItn·. com".,. a' 4:00 or 4:30 P.M. on a weekdoy 'ojind ,ltal. once eclaoolit oul. ,Ite .hulenllJor lite moll parllaooe meandered back 10 ,laeir Iaomea like pig. 10 ,Ite mud. To be lUre, tIaere an a Jew activilin. bu, Ihoee an Jew and Jar be,ween. Kinkaid. on lite ollan hand. ~ea aJw-eclaool aclivi'ift, Jor everyone: llane are apom. muaic, drama. .luMnIlocemment. and club aclivilin Jor aII.,uJenII. EI¥n on weekend.. lite KiMaid CGm".,.iajumping wi'" K.O.C.I. member., drama relaeanali, and ,Ite

5,.

like. I am ...-ellaal. if .latialica ~ compikd (which I am NOT abou, to do), we would eeellaat lite majority oj lite 51. Joltn' •• hulenll apmd no more llaan maybe floe Iaoun a week on e:r1nJ.auTicular aclivitiea. Conoenely, KiMaid ahulenll on tIw tJOenIIe probably apmd ooer 'wice ,Ita, amoun' oj time on aporia alone. I belift:,e IIaat if lite aaxkmic produclivi'y oj 5,. Joltn '•• huknta be,ween 3:00 and 5:30 P.M. wnkJo,. ~ metJIUred. ,Iaeir adminialralion would probably be diaappoin~d 10 jind 1Iaa, many oj ,Iaeir .,udenla, in apile oj llaeir "free-lime", do no' bepn .ludying unlil 6:00 or 6:30 P.M. anyway. Surely, ,here an IItoee 5,. JoM" ahulenll who apmd ,Iaeir aJWnoon 'ime .'udyingJor ,Iaeir S.A. r., bu,"m ...-e mo.' oj litem apmd ,Iaeir free-lime watclaing "Leat:JeI, To Beaver" reru •••. EDen IIaough 51. John '. may ltave a aUgh' advantage in acatkmic .latialica or ...,mber oj naIionaI meri' eclaolan, ,Iaeir aJ~ period. oj Ie".",.,y may weU eoal IIaem daIrIy 1onicIa" By Georce Er>rMX1aidea,Editor

Insecu Dear George Upon reading your article, I could not help but sit back and laugh. I cannot recall ever having read a more biased, unjustified, unfounded, and utterly ludicrous article in my entire life (except maybe the article just below it). Besides exemplifying your bad journalistic technique and perhaps a mild attempt at being inflammatory, your article actually does reveal a rather intrinsic part of the Kinkaid mental complex: insecurity. It seems to me, George, that your article is primarily an attempt to justify Kinkaid's lower academic standings by implying that St. John's students "spend more time at home ... studying" than Kinkaid students do. However, after some research (yes, George, we at The Review do have selfrespect; we try to justify our writing with facts), I have found that you are blatantly wrong. For example, you state that "one has simply to walk through St. John's campus at 4:00 pr 4:30 p.m. on a weekday to find that, once school is out, the students for the most part have meandered back to

Yes, George,

Do you participate in extracurricular activities?

Athens or Sparta? I dUnk mGny Kb,luJid .tudenll Mve Jorgotten ,Ite adoonlDga which ,his .daool provide. cu. Many K.nluJidwru po'nt to tlte h.glter S.A. T. ,cora oj John. audenu arad quel'lon why we con't achieve thOle rauill. PerMp8 we don't WDnt to. WMt we Mve here •• a "'IUI,lon comparable tMt oj two ancient Greek cUIeI. WhUe one ruJ"ow-mindedly JOCUIedall oj '" ejjorll on one goal- IUCCe8I Gt COGr· ,Ite citiunl oj ,Ite otlter punued G wide oorle'y oj .nterall, from partkfpatlon in governmen' to G,#aletw.to inteUectlUl1phUOIophy. Tlaeu two cilia Gre SparItJ Gnd A'Iaeru, rapect'vely, Grad Atlaenwru ended up proving tIaenueloa ,.,perior in Gll ftelda, including 'M' oj WGr. KinluJid, lilceAtlaeru, cIoa no, JOCUI'" 'tudenll on one gOGI(that oj h'gher lCMa) bu' apoIa ill "udenll to G wide oorlety oj cMllenga. Th." ,Ite lehool GretU wldeh one mlgh' pum.u! tU a coreer, or G' leGIt, toke intera' •••.LeI', be reGlUtic: ICOra will no' Gffect ,Ite type oj person we Gre or tlte level oj IUCCaI which we achleve, nor will mGny oj cu toke S.A. T. " Jor G living. Therefore, I,"IDJe to.y 'Mt I would rG,her G"end KinluJid tMn uS.A. T. S.J.S", Gnd becorne G well· rounded ,tauUnt wj,h G oorlety oj interall rather than G dull GutomG'on. However, mGny "udenll Mve Jorgotten ,h" difference, Gnd need to more thoroughly utUIu ,Ite optioru in "udent govern men', lourrtGIUrra, 1J'OrlI, drGmG, Grad 1peCial•.,.,.,., club. which all, a' KinkGid in orUr ,. prf!Mlf'Oe tIaefreedom which w. Mve bun given. BfI DrwtI1 Burch

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Yes 96.80/0 No 3.2%

em",....

•..and Drew Drew Burch's editorial not only presents an unfounded opinion of St. John's but also wrongly compares St. John's and Kinkaid to the ancient Greek city-states of Sparta and Athens. Drew's first point of comparison is that St. John's, like his simplistic vision of Sparta, focuses "its efforts on one goal." In the case of St. John's, Drew alludes to SAT scores as being the goal students "narrowmindedly pursue." According to Drew, Kinkaid (his Athens) offers a "wide variety

ty Outside the Loop? I

their homes like pigs to the mud" ("pigs to the mud" ... cute, George, real cute ... perhaps a little immature, though). I find it hard to believe that you, George, or any of your staff actually did walk through St. John's at this time. If you had, you would have seen a great many activities going on. Through the course of the year, between 3 and 5:30 p.m., a full 82 percent (yes, Goerge, we do provide statistics) of the Upper School student body participates in some kind of athletic event on the South Campus. Furthermore, the publications office - housing both The Review and The Rebel staffs - is often full of activity deep into the night, as publications and photography are both popular extracurriculars at St. John's. Play rehearsals in Hoodwink often last from 6-10 p.m., and a week before performances, they occur every single night. On Friday mornings, the Varsity cheerleaders are often found on campus at 7 a.m., preparing for the day's pep rally. Furthermore, to state that extracurricular activities at St. John's are "few and far bet-

ween," just because they may not be visible between 4 and 4:30 p.m., is ridiculous. Many activities meet during lunch, during the evening, at member's houses, or on weekends. After stating incorrectly that extracurriculars at St. John's are limited, you go on to say that "Kinkaid, on the other hand, encourages after school activities for everyone: there are sports, music, drama, student government, and club activities for all students." It sounds to me, as though, George, you are implying these activities do not exist St. John's. Again, your failure to look into the facts is manifest. Furthermore, while you were "NOT about" to compile statistics (negligence? irresponsibility?), we have, and I think you will see that your statement that "St. John's students spend no more than maybe five hours a week on extracurricular activities" serves as still another example of your lack of research. You go on to say that "most" St. John's students "spend their free time watching Leave It To Beaver reruns. It struck me as funny, George, to note that "The Beaver" was listed fourth

~oHave Extracurriculars at ÂˇSt. John's What activities do you/participate in? Sports 29.6070 Otber School Activities 15.2070 Botb 52% Do Not Participate 3.2%

of challenges." He can draw from personal experience for his views on Kinkaid's flexibility; however, his opinions of St. John's are ignorant and unsubstantiated. This is not only a poor way to form one's own .beliefs, but it is also an irresponsible form of editorial journalism. Drew's basis of comparison is clearly unfounded, as evidenced by the figures reflected in the poll. Obviously, St. John's students are involved in more than just studying for the SAT. Drew also says that at Kindaid, students have the opportunity to become "wellrounded," while at St. John's, a student

you feel that extra!!'r-> ricular activities are an integral part of St. John's? Yes 97.6% No 2.4%

can be no more than "a dull automation." This is, of course, the stereotypical image given to St. John's students by those at Kinkaid. They seem to believe that because our SAT scores are so high, all we must do is study for them. As evidenced by the polls, this is not the case. St. John's students participate in a multitude of extracurricular activities ranging from sports to art and drama. Drew also states that SAT scores "will not affect the type of person we are." St. John's students realize this. The high scores students have at S.J.S. merely reflect their ability to excel on tests which compare them

on your "INS [at Kinkaid]" article on page 9 of the same issue. Could this be another' example of your trying to justify your own actions by cutting down someone else? If so, this fact supports the theory of insecurity at Kinkaid. I must admit, however, there is some accuracy in your article. It is true that many St. John's students "do not begin studying until 6 or 6:30 p.m. - primarily because they do not finish participating in school activities until this time. You conclude your editorial by trying to justify St. John's "slight advantage in academic standings" by saying that we spend our afternoons in "lethargy." Well, I think I've made it quite evident that St. John's students do not spend time after School in lethargy; but, on one issue I do agree with you. You're right, George, we do have a slight advantage in academic standings. We must; after all we have more than twice as many National Merit semi-' finalists ... John Reuter , Editor

On the average, approxJ~~teIY how many hours a week do you spend involved in.extracurricular activities?

o brs.

3.2% 1-5 hrs. 15.2% 5-10 hrs. 32% more than 10 hrs. 49.6%

to the rest of the students in the- nation. And, according to Drew, Kinkaid students perhaps do not want to achieve the same results as St. John's on the SAT. It seems that they simply can't. St. John's students take part in a variety of activities and score highly on standardized tests. Drew is under the impression that since we score so highly, we must study for them all the time. We don't. We don't have to. And, by the way, Sparta won the Peloponnesian War. The Athenians' downfall was their arrogance. Lindsay Martin

The Review

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The Review VOLLEYBALL by Kaffy Mize The volleyball team this year was dif. ferent from other years in size and closeness. The team had only 11 members, and most of them had played together for the past three years. The previous experience that the team had together con. tributed to their success, and they were able to work more as a unit. No one was "moved up" for Conference, which is unusual, so there were no last minute adjustments to make within the team right before Conference. The Varsity started off well this season by sweeping their first tournament and winn-

ing all of the honors. Then, after several losses in a row, the team's spirits lagged reflected in the equal proportions of wins and losses during this period. At Conference the team overcame this problem and became, in the words of Captain Ashely Willcott(,85), "So spirited - [that it] brought life back into the team." Volleyball won second place in Conference with a Conference record of 5-2. The. two games lost were two of the closest and most difficult of the season. The team members who won All-Conference honors were Jane Jones ('85) and Kate Hargrove ('85) on the First Team, and Ashley Willcott ('85) on the Second Team. Kate

Hargrove's honor is truly extraordinary since she was unable tv play in South Zone. A special meeting was called to determine her elegibility, and she finished her season by winning the highest award. The season record for the team was 18-3. The volleyball season is a very difficult one. Games take place twice a week, often at distant schools that the team must visit by bus, necessitating leaving soon after school and not returning until as late as 9 p.m. Aside from games, not much practice time is left, which can be frustrating for both the player and the coach. Volleyball requires a great deal of time and commitment froi j its players.

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1984

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